Maginnis: Republicans differ, and Democrats decide

3:21 PM,
Nov. 13, 2013

Louisiana's 5th Congressional District is the state's largest and the nation's poorest. The special election for the 5th District seat, set for Nov. 16, will be between Monroe-area businessman Vance McAllister and state Sen. Neil Riser of Columbia. Both are Republicans.

Written by

John Maginnis
LaPolitics.com

The candidate who gets elected to Congress on Saturday matters little to the five-sixths of Louisiana residents who live outside of the 5th Congressional District. The same goes for about fifth-sixths of registered voters inside that district, given the low turnout that is projected for the runoff.

Beyond the state, the outcome will say something about the current divisions within the Republican Party that helped to cause last month's partial government shutdown over the Affordable Care Act.

State Sen. Neil Riser, R-Columbia, ran hard to the right in the primary, which he led. His views ...